When most people hear the word bacteria, they want to run in the other direction. However, there are types of bacteria that are good for the human body too. In order for people to have enough good bacteria, they can take a supplement every day, which is called a probiotic.
The benefits of taking daily probiotics are immense throughout the body, but they especially help with your gut health. If you’re on the edge about taking a daily probiotic because you’re not sure how it helps, if it helps, or which ones you should try, then read more to find out everything you need to know about probiotics.
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What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are live microorganisms, or bacteria, that do not cause infections in humans. This type of bacteria is naturally in our bodies and foods, but it is also made into capsules and powders that are sold in stores.
The logic behind probiotics helping health started with antibiotic prescriptions. When doctors prescribe antibiotics, they generally suggest that you also take a probiotic with it. This is because antibiotics kill bacteria, and sometimes this includes the good bacteria in your body. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the good bacteria that you lose or else you could end up with complications.
So, clearly, probiotics have some validity when it comes to keeping your body’s bacteria healthy and balanced.
Benefits of Probiotics
While there are many different types of probiotics that can help all different parts of the body, such as the mouth and bladder, a lot of people take them for their stomach.
Gut health has been a really big health trend recently. Instead of turning to home remedies, though, people should consider probiotics to maintain their healthy gut area. It’s something doctors have already been suggesting for a while.
Immunity
Most of the time, the human body is full of more good bacteria than bad bacteria. However, some illnesses and infections can change this. As a result, taking probiotics every day can increase your body’s natural levels of good bacteria.
This then makes it harder for the bad bacteria to stay in the body. Therefore, a major benefit of probiotics is that your body’s immunity against bad bacteria and infections improves.
Ease Gut Conditions
Some people live with conditions in the gut like irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, colitis, Chron’s disease, and more. Medical solutions for problems like these include the use of probiotics.
This is because bacteria have a lot to do with gut problems. By regulating the good bacteria in the body, these conditions might become less severe or at least, more manageable. The reasoning behind this is there is less likely to be an imbalance of good and bad bacteria.
The more good bacteria there is in the body, the more strength the stomach and bowel regions have to fend off abnormal behavior or bacteria.
Women’s Health
The female body is carefully balanced with bacteria. This applies to both the bladder and the vagina because women are likely to have imbalances in those areas.
Urinary tract infections come from bacteria just like any other infection. As a result, certain strains of bacteria use the benefits of probiotics to prevent this from happening in the bladder area. The more good bacteria you put in your body, the more likely it will be able to fight off any bad bacteria that arises.
The same idea goes for the vagina. Women are prone to bacterial vaginosis, yeast infections, and other pH balances in that area of their body. In order to prevent this, taking the right probiotic can promote proper bacteria levels in the vagina. Therefore, women should have these problems less frequently and feel comfortable more often.
Digestion
Some more of the benefits of probiotics include healthy digestion. Bacteria helps you digest your food by breaking it down, especially when it comes to complex carbohydrates.
Having more healthy bacteria won’t necessarily help you digest more food or faster, but it will make the process easier. That way, you will experience less discomfort and pain when eating certain foods thanks to the bacteria that the probiotics provide.
Risks of Supplement Probiotics
Unfortunately, there are some risks that you have to watch out for when it comes to probiotics as well. When purchasing some probiotics, you have to keep in mind that several have been studied, while others haven’t. One risk is if someone has an immune system weakened by illness or medication, someone could potentially get sick from probiotics.
Another huge risk is that probiotics are considered dietary supplements, not drugs, so the FDA doesn’t monitor the manufacturing of probiotics. There’s no clear indication of the probiotics that you’re taking is of high-quality. It’s possible that you could take lower-quality products that might not even contain the bacteria listed on the label.
Adding Daily Probiotics to Your Diet
If you don’t want to take daily probiotic supplements and would rather have your daily intake consist of food, there are several different kinds that you can focus on.
Like mentioned, there are several risks when talking about probiotics, though, so talking to your doctor is the best way to start.
Even so, there are several benefits of probiotics that will influence anyone to start the habit. If you’re looking for easy food choices, try out these different kinds.
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Foods
If you’re wanting to add daily probiotics into your life but are not sure where to start, or don’t want to waste money on pills or capsules, adding in some foods can be a huge help. From dairy products to other fermented goods, there are several options available.
The list includes yogurt, cultured buttermilk, fermented milk, frozen yogurt, tempeh, miso, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, fermented fish, cottage cheese, apple cider vinegar, olives, pickled products like onions, beets, and cucumbers. Some cereals might also have probiotics added into them even though they are not fermented.
Drinks
Another great form of getting your daily probiotic is through some kind of drink, like Kefer, yogurt drinks or kombucha. This is a super simple way of getting your daily intake in a quick session and then going about life without worrying.
This, along with food, is something that can put your mind at ease as they’re actually looked into, so you know exactly what you’re putting in your body.
If you want some great product examples, check out Chobani’s Daily Probiotic Drinkable Yogurt that contains billions of probiotics and are only 80 calories. Synergy has one of the best kombucha drinks with only 50 calories. Or Green Valley’s Organic Kefir that contains live and active cultures with 130 calories.
Capsules or Pills
A very popular way to take a probiotic is through pill or capsule form, which can be tricky as you never really know what you’re putting into your body.
But there are some brands that you can trust. If you find the right brand that works for you, then that’s the perfect way to go, especially for those that don’t want to stress over their diet.
If you’re trying to find some of the best daily probiotics, these are some of the top four sworn by consumers. The best probiotic for women is the Culturelle Women’s 4-in-1. The best for men is the Bio-Kult and the best affordable pill is the Jarrow Formulas Jarro-Dophilus Pill.
Powders and Liquids
The last types of probiotics that you might find include powders and liquids, which some argue is better than capsules because they have better absorption plus you can find a multitude of different blends.
Powders are a powder form of probiotics that you can include in water or any other drink, while liquids are just a drop form or liquid form that can be included in drinks or meals.
Some of the best liquid examples include Manna, which uses all-natural formula from globally sourced ingredients, and Zbiotics, which has been tested with the FDA.
Some of the best examples of daily probiotics that are powders include Orgain Superfoods and Microbiome Labs Mega SportBiotic.
Is Probiotics in Food or Supplements Better?
This coincides with the risks that you might take when purchasing supplements for probiotics. While both probiotic intake with food and supplements are a great way to go as they’re both beneficial for your overall health, consuming through food can be a lot better.
This is just because food usually benefits you a lot more than just the gut health that we’ve talk about. Plus, you can get your daily intake without breaking the bank. Supplements tend to cost more, and unfortunately, due to them not being researched enough, you could be purchasing something that doesn’t work, or could cause more harm than good.
All in all, when looking into probiotics, you might want to rely on a more natural way to consume it like food.
Conclusion
Overall, probiotics whether in foods or in supplements, can really help regulate your body’s habits and prevent infection. There are several benefits, like make you feel better and avoid random outbreaks of stomach problems. This is especially true for people who have medical gut conditions.
The important thing to remember is while probiotics are doctor recommended, they are not all the same. As a result, it is important to ask your doctor what type of probiotic will work for your condition or the purpose you would like to use it for. This way, there is no doubt that you will experience the right benefits of probiotics.
